Saturday, March 5, 2016

This is how I remember Joe Grant during his second stint at Disney. Looking kind of serious before coming up with a wry, funny comment. The great thing about Joe was that you could talk to him about everything. He didn't mind answering your many questions about Disney during the Golden Age of Animation and Walt himself, but he much preferred to discuss current projects as well as modern artistic trends. When comparing the old with the present Disney Joe once remarked:

Oh, it was the same. Just like now, we had politics, rivalries, jealousies etc. But.....we drew better!

BANG...the truth!! I loved him for his honesty, because if you did on occasion do something he liked, it meant so much more.

Here are just a few examples of Joe's art. He could draw realistically, as you can see in this stunning image of Snow White's Witch, but he loved stylizing his designs. Ever since Joe picked up calligraphy as a sort of hobby, his art and designs became calligraphic.

Designs for Fantasia and Lady & the Tramp.

If you'd like to find out more about Joe Grant, get John Canemaker's terrific book:
Two Guys named Joe